Alone Together: A Novel
Sarah J. Donovan
Summary:
Sadie Carter’s life is a mess, as wavy and
tangled as her unruly hair. At 15, she is barely surviving the chaos of her
large Catholic family. When one sister becomes pregnant and another is thrown
out, her unemployed dad hides his depression, and her mom hides a secret.
Sadie, the peacekeeper and rule-follower, has had enough. The empty
refrigerator, years of hand-me-downs, and all the secrets have to stop. She
longs for something more and plans her escape.
However, getting arrested was not her plan. Falling in love was not her plan.
With the help of three mysterious strangers—a cop, a teacher, and a cute
boy—maybe Sadie will find the strength to defy the rules and do the unexpected.
Told in verse, Sarah J. Donovan’s debut Alone Together has secrets, romance,
struggle, sin, and redemption, all before Sadie blows out her 16 candles. It’s
a courageously honest look at growing up in a big family.
Buy
Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Excerpt
A R R E S T E D
I knew he’d come,
he’d be the one
because Mom’s
always at church these days,
because he’s
always in the garage these days.
I knew he’d be stoic
as he shook the hand
of the police commander—
a 6’ 6” Santa Claus
with a badge.
Nobody speaks
for what feels like
forever.
I say a silent
prayer— for what I don’t know.
God has more
important things to worry about these days.
Crosses his
legs.
I notice his
overgrown toenails
stretching just
beyond the sole
of his
too-small flip flops.
Laces his hands
behind his head.
I notice the
stench of several shower-free days seeping into the silence.
Santa runs his
hands through his silver hair, smoothes out his beard, blue eyes taking note of
this
father-daughter
dynamic.
“Today’s my
last day,” says Santa.
“and it looks
to me
like you could
use
a break.”
I’m not sure
if he’s talking
to me,
if he’s talking
to Dad,
but my hands
are praying
for some
miracle.
Santa
tosses my
violation in the trash.
Santa
stands to shake
my hand.
My fingers are
lost in his palm, and
I swear his
blue eyes twinkle as he says, “Make better choices, Sadie.”
A Christmas
miracle, I think.
Until Dad
finally breaks his silence to say, “Got a few bucks for gas?”
I’m not sure
if he’s talking
to me,
if he’s talking
to Santa,
but Santa takes
out a ten
and hands it to
Dad.
Review: ♥ ♥ ♥
Alone
together is written in verse giving the story a unique style. The book
is broken up into individual headings but follows perfectly.
Sadie
Carter is one of many. She has so many brothers and sisters it's hard
to keep up. In fact, the author numbers them instead of giving their
names up front. Her family are strict catholic's and Sadie has to watch
how her parent's views affect the dynamics of the family. It's complete
chaos and the chance of having something of her own is slim. Her clothes
are hand downs, her time is shared and her fridge is empty. When a
large family go to the supermarket a box of pop tarts is snapped up. 6
just aren't enough.
Sadie is struggling to fit in her family.
The rules are hard to follow. Her friends are going to parties and her
family is spreading out. Sadie just wants her own sanctuary. She begins
to act out finding herself in trouble. Secrets, Catholic sins and
romance are mixed in with all the chaos.
This was an interesting
idea for a story and the style is unique. It definitely got me thinking
about my own upbringing. I'm a child of 3. The middle child. I didn't
have the responsibility of the oldest nor the full hand me downs of the
youngest but the one thing I did learn was I craved for the attention of
an only child. I can't imagine coming from such a large family. Alone
together is a glimpse into that reality and what it means for a younger
sibling. The Catholic twist also made me glad in a modern world people
are more accepted for who they are... or hopefully they are.
3 stars out of 5. I received an ARC as part of the blog tour. My review is honest and fair.
However, getting arrested was not her plan. Falling in love was not her plan. With the help of three mysterious strangers—a cop, a teacher, and a cute boy—maybe Sadie will find the strength to defy the rules and do the unexpected.
Told in verse, Sarah J. Donovan’s debut Alone Together has secrets, romance, struggle, sin, and redemption, all before Sadie blows out her 16 candles. It’s a courageously honest look at growing up in a big family.
Buy
Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Excerpt
A R R E S T E D
I knew he’d come,
he’d be the one
because Mom’s
always at church these days,
because he’s
always in the garage these days.
I knew he’d be stoic
as he shook the hand
of the police commander—
a 6’ 6” Santa Claus
with a badge.
Nobody speaks
for what feels like
forever.
I say a silent
prayer— for what I don’t know.
God has more
important things to worry about these days.
Crosses his
legs.
I notice his
overgrown toenails
stretching just
beyond the sole
of his
too-small flip flops.
Laces his hands
behind his head.
I notice the
stench of several shower-free days seeping into the silence.
Santa runs his
hands through his silver hair, smoothes out his beard, blue eyes taking note of
this
father-daughter
dynamic.
“Today’s my
last day,” says Santa.
“and it looks
to me
like you could
use
a break.”
I’m not sure
if he’s talking
to me,
if he’s talking
to Dad,
but my hands
are praying
for some
miracle.
Santa
tosses my
violation in the trash.
Santa
stands to shake
my hand.
My fingers are
lost in his palm, and
I swear his
blue eyes twinkle as he says, “Make better choices, Sadie.”
A Christmas
miracle, I think.
Until Dad
finally breaks his silence to say, “Got a few bucks for gas?”
I’m not sure
if he’s talking
to me,
if he’s talking
to Santa,
but Santa takes
out a ten
and hands it to
Dad.
Review: ♥ ♥ ♥
Alone
together is written in verse giving the story a unique style. The book
is broken up into individual headings but follows perfectly.
Sadie Carter is one of many. She has so many brothers and sisters it's hard to keep up. In fact, the author numbers them instead of giving their names up front. Her family are strict catholic's and Sadie has to watch how her parent's views affect the dynamics of the family. It's complete chaos and the chance of having something of her own is slim. Her clothes are hand downs, her time is shared and her fridge is empty. When a large family go to the supermarket a box of pop tarts is snapped up. 6 just aren't enough.
Sadie is struggling to fit in her family. The rules are hard to follow. Her friends are going to parties and her family is spreading out. Sadie just wants her own sanctuary. She begins to act out finding herself in trouble. Secrets, Catholic sins and romance are mixed in with all the chaos.
This was an interesting idea for a story and the style is unique. It definitely got me thinking about my own upbringing. I'm a child of 3. The middle child. I didn't have the responsibility of the oldest nor the full hand me downs of the youngest but the one thing I did learn was I craved for the attention of an only child. I can't imagine coming from such a large family. Alone together is a glimpse into that reality and what it means for a younger sibling. The Catholic twist also made me glad in a modern world people are more accepted for who they are... or hopefully they are.
3 stars out of 5. I received an ARC as part of the blog tour. My review is honest and fair.
Sadie Carter is one of many. She has so many brothers and sisters it's hard to keep up. In fact, the author numbers them instead of giving their names up front. Her family are strict catholic's and Sadie has to watch how her parent's views affect the dynamics of the family. It's complete chaos and the chance of having something of her own is slim. Her clothes are hand downs, her time is shared and her fridge is empty. When a large family go to the supermarket a box of pop tarts is snapped up. 6 just aren't enough.
Sadie is struggling to fit in her family. The rules are hard to follow. Her friends are going to parties and her family is spreading out. Sadie just wants her own sanctuary. She begins to act out finding herself in trouble. Secrets, Catholic sins and romance are mixed in with all the chaos.
This was an interesting idea for a story and the style is unique. It definitely got me thinking about my own upbringing. I'm a child of 3. The middle child. I didn't have the responsibility of the oldest nor the full hand me downs of the youngest but the one thing I did learn was I craved for the attention of an only child. I can't imagine coming from such a large family. Alone together is a glimpse into that reality and what it means for a younger sibling. The Catholic twist also made me glad in a modern world people are more accepted for who they are... or hopefully they are.
3 stars out of 5. I received an ARC as part of the blog tour. My review is honest and fair.
Alone Together
Genre: YA Contemporary Fiction
Release Date: May 1st 2018
262 pages
About the Author
Sarah J. Donovan is the author of Alone
Together and Genocide Literature in Middle and Secondary Classrooms. A junior
high English teacher by day and college education professor by night, she
spends every other moment reading young adult novels and writing. She lives
with her husband in Downers Grove, Illinois in a condo so she can write instead
of mowing the lawn or shoveling snow. When she is not teaching, reading, or
writing, she can be found playing sand volleyball with amazing Chicagoland
women. (Yes, even in the winters.)You can see all her “shelfies”on Instagram
@donovan_sd or tweet @MrsSJDonovan.
Author Links:
Blog Tour Organized by:
GIVEAWAY:
Win a class set of Alone
Together for your local high school: https://sarahjdonovan.wordpress.com/promotions/
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